BRUSSELS – “NATO will gradually adjust the strength of its peace support mission in Kosovo, which has been in place since 1999, over the next year due to the steady security situation in the country”, it has been reported today by Reuters.
US Air Force General Alexus G. Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), stated that “NATO and KFOR are fully committed to safety and security in Kosovo”.
“It is this commitment that has led to increased stability as the security organisations in Kosovo have become more capable. The current conditions provide an opportunity to optimise KFOR’s size and posture further”, Grynkewich noted.
NATO also stated that calibrated KFOR mission reductions are expected to follow national rotational deployment and redeployment cycles between now and next year. It stressed that the changes will occur gradually and in line with conditions on the ground, and could be reversed, if needed.
On 10 June, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić met Alexus G. Grynkewich in Belgrade, thanking him for KFOR’s “stabilizing role”, and expressing hope that the mission would continue to play a vital part in safeguarding the peace.
